Healthy Food Choices for Expectant Moms

Pregnant women have diet requirements for two, and many foods are great for healthy expecting moms. Try these tips for buying food for expectant mothers in this healthy shopping video.

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Pregnant women do NOT need to double calories
A multivitamin can offer iron & folic acid
Stay away from caffeine & alcohol
Eat smaller more frequent meals

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Michelle Cooper has been a registered dietician for more than 10 years. She currently works for the state of North Carolina for the New Hanover County School District in the Child Nutrition Department as the supervising registered dietician on staff. She specializes in child nutrition, child fitness and overall child health. She enjoys her job because it allows her to be a pivotal piece of child development.

MICHELLE COOPER: Next, we are going to talk about nutrition for expectant moms. Contrary to popular belief, when you are pregnant, you don't have to eat for two or double your caloric intake. In fact, that could be harmful to you and the baby. Your body only needs about an additional 300 calories a day, which is the equivalent to two glasses of skim or low-fat milk. In addition, you are going to want to increase your intake of nutrients. Your doctor will probably prescribe a multivitamin for you as your need for folic acid and iron will greatly increase. You will also want to avoid caffeinated beverages such as those like tea, dark colas and coffee. Of course, alcohol will also be prohibited as you are expecting. Lastly, you are going to want to increase your intake of fiber to aid in the digestion of food and to avoid any problems down the road. As you become larger and maybe uncomfortable for you to get all you need in three meals, therefore you may want to break up your nutrition into three meals and three snacks. That way you could ward off any indigestion or sour stomach as a result of the growing baby. So number one, remember, you are only going to need about 300 extra calories a day, which you can get from two glasses of skim milk. Number two, you are probably going to need to be on a prenatal vitamin to increase your intake of nutrients like folic acid and iron. Number three, avoid caffeinated beverages and alcohol. And lastly, increase your consumption of fiber. And if you have to change your nutritional habits by eating three meals and three snacks as you get larger, it is okay to do that.

Healthy Food Choices for Expectant Moms Video

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